Rivian would like to have a word about being the first real electric truck…
I think Ford and Rivian and Chevy all made a simple calculated decision with electric trucks. The Venn diagrams of “Real Truck Users” and “Electric Vehicle Buyers” have a very small overlap. Now, suburban folks who like the current popular trucks (luxury SUV’s with a tiny bed) and electric vehicle buyers have more overlap.
At some point I do see work trucks getting an electric alternative as we are seeing that electric work vans are a big market for specific industries. I can see the potential for work trucks being the same in some spaces. If a company has the ability to have charging infrastructure at a hub location where the vehicles are coming back to at night, there is opportunity. Then the general public can also jump on board and get a more truck like electric truck.
The funny thing is, I look at the way my father and uncles use/used their trucks (farmers). Those vehicles longest trip in most weeks/months was to get gas at the gas station (one truck was 10 years old with 20,000 miles on it when he got rid of it). And the charging for the truck at night would have been a blip on their electric bill with the dairy farm equipment and all…. If it could have had a regular bed and reasonable towing capacity (not for any distance at all as the fields were all close by) an electric truck would have been great for them, but not wanting all the luxury appointments and all. But, of course my dad thinks an electric vehicle is a terrible idea. Oh well.
The Rivian really isn’t a truck. What are you going to carry in a 4’6’’ bed? Your purse?
Depending whether you want to be insulting or not, it’s either a boutique adventure vehicle or a ‘‘Yuppiemobile’’. If they would reduce the features, take some room from the back seat and lengthen the bed, it might make a nice midsize pickup.
I’m going today to check out and measure inside on the Kia EV9.
Well, I tend to haul bikes the most often as I still participate in those events we cannot mention over here…. They fit just fine in the back of a Rivian. Also, it would work well towing trailers for my needs (never long distance). The true “need” for a truck for me is the four wheel drive/ground clearance for winter conditions where I live to accompany the bike hauling and then some limited homeowner needs from Home Depot/Menards…. SO the Rivian would do quite well for me. But, I have navigated to SUV’s as I prefer my bikes inside the vehicle and the pup likes riding inside with me too.
How can you possibly fit a bicycle in a 4’6’’ bed? Do you mean with the tailgate down?. With my trucks with a 6ft bed, it’s always been a tight squeeze on a rack with the front wheels off, tailgate up, and cap door shut.
I didn’t even drive the EV9. It’s just not what I want. Went and drove a Maverick; too small, no power at all on the Hybrid.
I think a Tacoma Prime would be ideal. Every one of my 6 small pickups has had some kind of rear suspension upgrade. If the Tocama needs it, there are probably more upgrade parts made for the Tocama than any other pickup ever made. But Toyota doesn’t have a Prime in the plans, as far as I know.
I’m looking for something that just doesn’t exist just because I want to give my Nissan to someone. Unfortunately is just not going to work out.
No cap on the bed for one. And without owning one I cannot say I have done it, but pretty sure I could get a few bikes in the back of the Rivian if I were to try.
Face it, you do not want an electric truck. It doesn’t fit your use case. You decided to come on here and shit on the F-150 for being exactly what it is supposed to be and not what you want. Just go get your gas powered truck and modify it as you have and leave the electric vehicles alone. Accept that you are an outlier in the vehicle market, and as such do not fit the bill when new technology vehicles first come out.
I’m waiting on the Tacoma Prime as well. I think that is what they are calling the PHEV version. I can’t find anything on when or if it will be available.
I feel the same about a Tacoma Prime. My wife got a Rav4 Prime and we both use it for everything. My Nissan Frontier sit’s in the driveway on Long Island unless I’m picking something up
The Rav gets 44 miles of EV range and it gets 50 mpg going up and there Thruway. It has really good power, it’s comfortable, and it good handling.
I drove a Maverick hybrid yesterday. It had no power at all. When I punched it going up an expressway ramp, it just kept oozing up to speed. Even with the top of line Lariat trim, it just felt kind of skimpy. Like an old American two door car, it has a full back seat but no leg room. It would have been better to have the little jump seats like my Nissan. All in all, it was pretty disappointing.
So I’m looking for something that doesn’t exist; a reasonably sized EV or PHEV pickup. I’m afraid it’s going to be a long wait.
I’ve come to realize that right now there is nothing available that I want.
The BZ4X lease is back at $219. I might go drive one and see if I want to lease it for 3 years. I’ll give up all ‘‘truckability’’ for the first time since 1987, but I’m hoping that in 3 years something that I want will be for sale.
Next up is the Blazer EV. My son who has a Mach E, recommended it and it looks like you can get a good deal on it.
We both loved driving the BZ4X but there is so much negativity online about it and very few positives. It has the lowest range of all the EV SUV’s
So we will probably go drive the Blazer tomorrow and then work hard for a good deal.
The Chinese EV’s are coming. There’s probably no way to stop them. I don’t want a Chinese truck, but the Chinese companies are building factories in Mexico. With NAFTA, or whatever it’s called now, they will be for sale here. So let’s supposed that GM, Ford, and Ram are offering huge 80 to 100 thousand dollar pickups and a Chinese company is offering a made in Mexico medium sized pickup for $50,000, I’ll have a hard time passing it up.
I am VERY confused. a Pickup with a 5.5 ft bed is not big enough to haul your stuff but your going to look at a Blazer EV?
I mean a 5.5 ft bet with tailgate down getst you 7.5 ft of support, so a 8 ft board is hanging 6" of tailgate, even a 12 footer only has 4.5 ft off. With a blazer your driving with the hatch open and probably that much if not more sticking out. Now this from a guy who brought home a 20’ long peice of trim in chevy bolt. Front window down had about 4’ out the front and 3’ out the back if I recall. But it would have been a lot easier with a truck.
Don’t forget the Honda is just a blazer without GM’s f’d up software. How the hell do you make a car for a company that at launch they sell for less than your version, and it actually works.
